Business and book website: wordwhisperer.net
Author of SETTLE FOR BEST: SATISFY THE WINNER YOU WERE BORN TO BE; SERVAL SON: SPOTS & STRIPES FOREVER; DeFOREST KELLEY: A HARVEST OF MEMORIES; FLOATING AROUND HOLLYWOOD; LET NO DAY DAWN THAT THE ANIMALS CANNOT SHARE(order at Amazon); and THE ENDURING LEGACY OF DeFOREST KELLEY(order at http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=382995)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Dear Kris,Since I bought your book "The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley," I follow your blog "Almost Famous...".I am very impressed by the way you tell people where you stand and that it is important to fight for the right things. In your words is so much enthusiasm, that must catch everybody! But you always find the right words to say the things gently, so everybody has the chance to form their own opinion. In MY opinion this is a gift that only great writers have! And for me, you are one. If I would be an American, I knew what to do on Election Day next Tuesday.By the way, I hope President Obama will get all the support he needs. I also think he is a real good president for the United States.I cross my fingers, that you reach a lot of people and that you (and he) will be successfull next week!Best wishes from Germany,Antje

P.S.

I hope I could express understandable what I want you to tell. Sometimes my english is not at its best (I am a social worker, not an english teacher;-)).

P.P.S

If I didn´t tell you before:

I love "The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley" and your idea behind that wonderful treasure!

Another THANKS for that!!!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I think Antje did just fine writing in a foreign language. Endearing. I didn't change a thing....

Friday, October 29, 2010

My God, it is taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to November 2nd. I'm exhausted. I've been making calls, attending rallies, and frowning at all of the mud-slinging that has been going on... and it's increasing lately.

I sincerely hope people will turn off their TVs and radios and visit the candidate's and issues' websites and reach a conclusion the way a well-advised jury would.

Vote for the people and issues you trust most "beyond a reasonable doubt." If their platform (which you can find at each candidate's website; e.g. Pattymurray.com) matches your insights, goals and patterns, vote for them.

If you have developed doubts because of the hail of negative ads that are trying to scare you, go to the sites of organizations you do support and trust (Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, etc.) and see who and what they're recommending you should do when you vote.

Also please spend at least three uninterrupted hours on a cable news station that you usually DON'T watch (e.g, if you usually watch CNN or MSNBC, see if FOX News brings up any issues that you may want to consider further). If anything you hear on the "rival" network sounds too good or too scary to be true, check it out at politifact.org or factcheck.org.

I'm concerned that voters are all in their own little boxes being fed information that is skewed at best and screwy at worst. I don't see how we can make good decisions if we live with blinders on.

Remember: other people of good will and robust intellect are supporting people you don't support. Find out why. If they're just spewing hatred, vitriol and unsubstantiated rumors, you need not listen further. But if they have sensible points and arguments, LISTEN TO THEM, not so much to have your own mind changed as to have it expanded, so that after the election is over you won't be in an "us vs. them" mode and develop an enemies list.

Your friends, family and associates matter. Their political "take" on the world is just another of their idiosyncracies, whether it's charming or irritating. Let it go! They're fellow Americans and lots of people have died to give them the right to believe what they believe and to say what they say. Celebrate that!

Reasonable people disagree. Reasonable people also listen, weigh, consider, separating the wheat from the chaff.

This is a very important midterm election. You already know where I stand, if you've been reading my Facebook page and blog entries, so you don't have to read much more of this blog entry.

All I hope you'll do is lock yourself into a room where you can pray and think and calm yourself enough to find your peaceful center, reject the crap that has been flying out of your TV screen for weeks, and figure out what's the next best act for our beloved country.

I know what I think. If you know what you think, your job is done as soon as you cast or mail your ballot.

If you're still undecided, DO NOT sit this election out. Consider what we have and what the alternative will look like. (2000-2008 is a gauge of that; the Republicans promise more of the same.)

Remember that it was the 2000-2008 years that caused the catastrophe that the present Administration is now digging us out of. These are facts; hard realities. We had a surplus when Bush took office. By the time Obama took office, we had already hemorrhaged more than four million jobs and lost millions more before Obama's policies could apply a tourniquet and stem the loss. So what we have now is not of Obama's doing. TARP is almost completely paid back.

Health care reform will save many, many billions of dollars over ten years even as it better protects consumers (that's us).

Wall Street reform will make sure we never have to bail it out again at the expense of Wall Street.

Credit card companies now have to tell you the truth and inform you when they plan to jack up prices.

Women, your gender no longer makes you a "pre-existing condition" when you're pregnant, get cancer or develop a serious condition.

Young adults, you can stay on your parents' insurance policy until you're 26 and more established financially.

Students, far more of you are getting grants and all of you who are, are getting larger grants so America's future won't fall through the cracks.

Women, you must now be paid the same amount as men are paid for doing the same job.

To me, the choice seems crystal clear. I've listened to what the other side is offering, and it doesn't seem they've learned a thing. It's to a point now that an even more conservative fringe element has emasculated the GOP and caused it to succumb, to "adapt or die."

It's a serious choice. It's a serious matter. Don't sit this one out.

Women and people of color, a lot of people worked, bled and died to give you the right to vote. Don't sit it out and spit on their graves.

Final thoughts to Remember and Practice:

The people you disagree with politically are not your enemies. The people you agree with -- and their representative talking heads -- are NOT sporting halos or walking on water.

So grab a chair, take a neutral stance for a time, and look things over carefully. I think you'll be surprised at what you discover.

We all want peace and an America that works well. Which party seems to be the most grown up, reliable (even when the road ahead is steep and slow-going) and stable?

Let's elect and keep grownups. Let's look for and keep smart people. Let's be sure that the people we elect to positions of power have ALL Americans' fundamental best interests at heart... not just a select few.

Become a better-informed voter. You usually have to "study up" to succed at anything else that's future-altering and worth doing: driving, working, marrying, parenting...

Let's make American politics work the way it should. Let's send or return grown-ups to Congress. Backyard bullies need not apply.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A bit of information that you might like to know about. We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an entomologist (insect expert), and has been telling them that there is an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America . Recently I have heard on the news that several stores in NYC have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey .

He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America (sad but true), even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing, as these countries do not consider them a problem. He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and socks, sheets, towels, etc. that you bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores, many of them clothing stores have had to shut down in NYC and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and you will go to hell and back trying to get rid of them. He travels all over the country as an advisor to many of these stores, as prevention and after they have the problem.

Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good prevention information gets around quickly.

If the DEMS don't keep control of Congress and keep moving us up and out of the ditch we're in, literally millions people who are now hanging on by JUST a thread (and I'm among them) and praying for deliverance will have the carpet pulled out from under them with absolutely NOTHING to look forward to. In addition to being strapped financially, they'll be strapped emotionally and perhaps spiritually, wondering how God could allow such a thing.

I think if we don't maintain hope and recovery, the suicide rate will skyrocket. I don't think the GOP is thinking about that at all. In fact, I wasn't even thinking of it until sometime late last night when I was still smiling from the hope and present and future plans we heard at the rally. It suddenly occurred to me, "What if the electorate voted to REVERSE/REPEAL everything this Congress has done (despite lockstep opposition by the GOP) to put us into forward motion again... What if, after all this, we end up back at square one where the big wigs are calling the shots, repealing oversight and regulation...

It would be utterly devastating to a population that has been thisclose to despair for so many years. I think losing this time could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

The rich folks can take care of themselves with a few pinches to their pocketbooks here and there.They aren't on the verge of catastrophic failure -- at least, not any more, since we bailed them out on the backs of the rest of the working people. And instead of expressing gratitude and a little humility, the bonuses are soaring again, they're pouring billions into scaring people into thinking it's the DEMS who orchestrated the nightmare we're just now coming out of.

Yes, there is some blame to share... but the lion's share has been the doing of the elites and their demand for increasing profits at all costs. How rich do the richest 2% of Americans have to be before they think about the rest of us as something other than "human resources" and consumers?

How long will be before the powers that be no longer call all the shots?

They don't, you know. WE do. It is our votes that control THEM, and only our votes. I think it's time to vote for what will benefit the greatest number of Americans. Democrats work on behalf of ALL Americans, not just a small segment. It's time the GOP and uber-rich did, too.

My hat is off to Bill Gates Sr, Bill Gates Jr, Warren Buffett, and the others who realize that with every blessing comes a responsibility to our fellow human beings on this planet. It may be old-fashioned in this new "What's in it for me?" world, but it's good to be good.

It's time for voters to get a little more selfish and vote from a perspective of "What's in it for me?" The GOP and their rich lobbyists have been doing it for years. It's time to level the playing field and tell the present Party of No and the Party of Tea "HELL NO!" -- in a nice way, of course: WITH OUR VOTES!!!

Friday, October 8, 2010

I met Vice President Joe Biden today very briefly, but very wonderfully. A doctor in the crowd took a photo of VP Biden shaking my hand and talking to me (photo taken from over my left shoulder); she's supposed to email it to me. When she does, I'll include it here.

VP Biden took my hand and held it for 10-15 seconds while he spoke with another person (was I counting? No... was I noticing? YES!), then he looked at me and when I said, "God bless you; thank you for all you do for us," he responded, "Thank you, but you know we can't do any of it without you."

OK, I'm a goner. He's a real guy with a Gleem smile and a great heart.

I always presumed that, but being near him for about five minutes as I awaited my turn confirmed it for me... in the way that standing and watching DeForest Kelley for several minutes did it for me in 1968. I'm pretty intuitive from afar, but close up I can be almost psychic. Joe Biden and Patty Murray are the full meal deal; they don't just talk the talk; they walk the walk.

The details:

I drove to Tacoma to the Get Out the Vote Rally for Patty Murray and the DEMS on the UW Tacoma campus. Every notable Washington State DEM was there except Norm Dicks: the mayor of Tacoma, Senator Maria Cantwell, Governor Chris Gregoire, Adam Smith, Senator Patty Murray and VP Biden.

There was a huge turnout. I met up with friends in line and we got very close to the front of the audience; some of my group ended up in the "stands," the rest of us were within 20 feet of the podium... later I stood right next to the barrier, following all of the speeches, which is when "the moments" happened.

The speeches were great... Patty's speech was terrific... VP Biden's speech hit the event out of the ballpark and across Puget Sound, over the Olympic Peninsula and far out into the Pacific Ocean.

These people really care about the working middle class. I'm quite "up" on things; even so, some of what they said was just gut-wrenching. I wish I had it all on tape. It's in my heart lock, stock and barrel, but it would be nice to have the words playing in the background while I make phone calls to turn out the DEM vote.

The news media takes snippets of a rally -- sound bites -- and spends five seconds on those. Standing through an entire rally event and seeing the faces and watching others react whose lives have been impacted by the various problems makes us all one community, united in purpose and resolve.

Biden was riveting. I've heard lots of his speeches in bits and pieces but rarely one from beginning to end. This one was exceptional.

He and Patty "get it." They're both from working class families that fell on hard times and they realize the legitimate role of government in helping people survive through tough times. He spelled out what the Obama-Biden administration inherited (a helluva dangerous mess; my paraphrase, not his words) and what they've done to make sure the nation could survive the failed policies of the previous administration.

But then he drilled down, breaking the crises into bite-size chunks (foreclosures, upside down mortgages, failing banks, and all the rest) and put a human face on each of them. At every point, various event participants would call out, "That's right, Joe !! It happened to me!" "Me, too!" Suddenly we were all "family." And we're all hurting in one way or another.

Mostly we're scared about what will happen IF the GOP wins this year. They've promised, right out loud in front of cameras, that they'll keep doing what they've been doing... (OMG!!!!) and we're going through what that created right now! And even worse, with Tea Party aspects being added, it'll be even WORSE than before. Talk about the abuse of Big Government; they want to end abortion even in the case of rape and incest; repeal the Health Care Bill; give tax breaks to the wealthiest at the expense of the rest of us; and do literally dozens more anti-middle class dastardly deeds while having us foot the bill. It's craven. It's bizarre. It's twisted, wicked and awful.

But you know what? The rally wasn't primarily about the GOP; it was about US--about what we (you and I) can and must do between now and November 2nd to keep America from being railroaded toward another Great Depression and extreme social repression.

We need to pick up the phone and get out the vote.. talk to our neighbors, friends and families and get out the vote... Facebook and Twitter to get out the vote...work every moment we can to get out the vote.

Our future will be decided on November 2nd. The choice is clear to me: Fear and hate or faith and love. Faith and love is on our side. I saw that today in the eyes of the people who came. There were thousands of them... most will be joining us to get out the vote.

It's gonna be a wild ride. Buckle up. Let's see if America is ready to cave to fear or rally to further hope and progress. I'm praying without ceasing...

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Much like the Second Coming of Christ, as much as I want Election Day to get here and be gone, I know the voting population is beginning to flock into the Democratic fold, so I'm just holding my breath that they all get back here before the powers that be (that's us, if we'd only "get" that!) pull the trigger and "Make It So!"

I want as many faithful Americans of all stripes on the DEM side as we can get by November 2nd; the alternative is just too, too scary...

The talking points from the other side seem to be resonating with people with the least amount of education,people who won't bother to research the truth and recognize that lies are being told and scare tactics are being spread to keep them from voting in their own best interests! MOST of us don't make $250K a year; gazillions are being poured into the races by the uber-wealthy to convince people TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS! It's utterly appalling...

And some of the voting age population is ignoring all of it, not in the least interested in who wins and who loses at this critical time in American history.

Well, I guess those foks -- the uninterested and the uninformed -- will get the government they deserve by default. I just pray there are more of us than there are of them... because we deserve better than what may occur if voters stay home this year thinking they're relatively happy with the status quo. The scary part is, if they do that,the status quo (moving measurably out of the ditch, getting America's image elevated in the world, getting jobs back) will no longer be the status quo!

I implore every thinking American to take this midterm election seriously. We're at a pivot point that can derail all that has been accomplished to date...

Those who want to see that happen... well, I don't have any words for you that don't seem judgmental and negative, so I'll keep them to myself.

About Me

A
Pacific Northwest native, Kristine M. Smith transformed her copywriting
business from a struggling start-up to a going concern in near-record time.
Prior to launching her own copywriting business, Kris served as a fledgling copywriter
for a local on-hold script production company, where she won Employee of the
Quarter the last two quarters she worked there.

Kris’s
freelance writing career was launched by actor DeForest Kelley more than forty
years ago. It was Kelley and his wife Carolyn who encouraged Kris to try
Hollywood on for size, which she did from 1989 to 2003. Kris served as Mr.
Kelley’s personal assistant and caregiver during the final months of his life
and presented heartfelt sentiments about her mentor at Paramount Studios'
memorial service for him in 1999. She has written two books about him: DeForest
Kelley: A Harvest of Memories and The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley:
Actor, Healer, Friend. An enhanced version of Harvest with a new title and 50+ pages of riotous additional anecdotes will debut during Star Trek's 50th Anniversary in 2016.

In
Hollywood, Kris served as an administrative assistant and secretarial floater
to writers, producers and—later—information technology professionals at various
studios. Most of her Hollywood career was spent at Warner Bros. Studios in
Burbank where she served as an executive secretary for the VP of Software
Development and as a Hardware Lease Administrator. Kris’s most notable creative
endeavor at Warner Bros. was writing the copy for an intranet website to help
newly-arrived secretaries learn the ins and outs of serving on the WB campus in
record time. The website earned her a monetary reward and the coveted (don’t
laugh!) Carrot Award (Bugs Bunny runs da joint, ya know!); the accompanying Certification
of Appreciation was co-signed by the head of the Human Resources Department and
her boss.

The
author of seven books, Kris’s sixth title, Serval Son: Spots and Stripes Forever
(You are responsible for all you tame)—a cautionary true story about what it’s
like to own, and be owned by, a wild cat for seventeen years—reached the #2 and
#4 spots at Amazon in two niche categories when it debuted in September 2011.

Kris’s
newest title, Settle for Best: Satisfy the Winner You Were Born to Be, is a chapter-by-chapter
breakdown of the twenty commonalities of millionaire philanthropists as
discerned by Napoleon Hill in his seminal 20th century work, Think
and Grow Rich. Each chapter contains words of encouragement and
instructions to entrepreneurs and anyone else who wants to leave a business,
personal, or family legacy that will resonate for generations to come. Settle
for Best stood at #1 in the Motivational Self-Help category at Amazon for three
days when it debuted.